On My Radar: Tom Staniford

What’s the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen recently?

I love a simple ad, done well. The new ad from Asics, The Desk Break, encourages people to take a 15 minute movement break during work hours (ideally wearing Asics shoes). The script and performance by Brian Cox are just superb; he speaks through the camera directly as us the "workers”, poking fun at us, revealing harsh but funny truths on workplace culture whilst he just gives us a jolly good telling off. But the message is poignant. It’s perfect.

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

This may sound boring but it’s the truth; Google and YouTube... couldn’t live without them!

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought?

I’ve just bought an old Fujinon broadcast servo zoom on Ebay. It's from the 90s and has been modified for a Sony E mount. I’ve done this for the sole purpose of janky crash zooms. We’ve got a 360° rig and I just need to see a 360° shot revolving around a product while zooming in 16x on it! It’s totally parfocal. I’m excited.

What product could you not live without?

Moisturiser. I think I’d disintegrate without it.

What’s the best film you’ve seen over the last year?

I really had to dig deep on this one. I don’t watch a tonne of movies. I would say the new Wonka, by Paul King. I didn’t expect to like it as I’m not into all-singing, all-dancing musicals (though every time I watch one I seem to like it)... I think it’s the idea that puts me off. Anyway, Wonka was great! Really light-hearted, great characters and just a lovely story of a young ambitious boy. The wardrobe and art department are absolutely magical. The detail and ingenuity in Wonka’s portable little chocolate laboratory makes the film so charming. It’s a visual feast all the way through.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. For me, it’s the use of music. Or, really, the lack of it. There’s not a single music track in the entire film until the very end, and you don’t even notice that it’s missing, or even crave it. It makes the film so much more intriguing because you’re never guided on how to feel with the music. There’s no suggestion, the trance of the sheer gritty reality of it is never broken until the very end, and it’s a huge release. It also has one of the most thought-provoking ends of any movie.

What’s your preferred social media platform?

I don’t want to say it, but Instagram. It just knows me, and feeds me the nonsense it knows I like. And it (almost) sells me the products that I didn’t know existed but somehow knew I needed! I’m a sucker for good advertising. I love the game. It’s also a really inspiring place to see new work and BTS of complex setups. We’ve definitely taken inspiration from the things we see there.

What’s your favourite TV show?

Of the few(ish) binges I’ve had, I would say Better Call Saul got me hooked the most. That character is so human, you just cannot help but wonder how he’s going to cock it all up in the next episode... but can’t help but love him for it, too.

What’s your favourite podcast?

Business Wars. It might sound dry and bleak but it’s the only podcast that keeps me from falling asleep on the Tube/at the wheel. The topline is that a dramatic, gravelly American narrates the rise of two well-known competitors (eg McDonald's vs Burger King). There’s great sound design and character development. It’s a bit like listening to a movie but you also learn some really interesting things about the biggest brands on the planet.

What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently?

It’s not 'industry', but the Affordable Art Fair makes my heart soar the most. I went on my own for the opening night earlier this year and it just fills you up with inspiration. At times the work fully makes you laugh out loud, not because it’s rubbish but because they’re so witty, bizarre, sarcastic and unapologetic. I’d love to see more of that 'no-shits-given' approach in advertising.

If you could only listen to one music artist from now on, who would it be?

I think it would be Rae Morris. She’s been stuck in my head whilst I write this, and three weeks prior. It’s starting to feel like a bit of curse, but I can’t get enough of her. Go and listen to Morning Isn’t Morning by Rae Morris and tell me you don’t love her.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

Getting rid of crap ads that give zero respect to the viewer. Put some effort in! You’ve got huge brands spending big sums on plain, bland ads that just sell-sell-sell, without even trying to entertain or immerse the audience. Think of all those terrible furniture ads, or stock mum and dad laughing with pearly whites in the bathroom, cut to a 'real dentist' (shot on the wonk) telling you all the benefits of toothpaste. I was doing a talk for some university film students a couple of years ago and I think it’s these kinds of mass filler adverts that led one of them to tell the class and I that “advertising is the lowest form of filmmaking”. Even with low budgets - in fact, especially with lower budgets - we can up the game and make every ad do more than just sell.